


A L I V E

by WinterRaineeDay



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Crime, Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 12:21:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterRaineeDay/pseuds/WinterRaineeDay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawkshaw Matsuoka Rin, renowned for his being an impressive sleuth despite his devil-may-care attitude. Has been assigned to a new case, a murder involving an nameless boy. But things take a turn when the boy's spirit appears before him and only he can see him. Now Rin continues to uncover the mystery behind the boy now called Mizuki, will they be able to face their own dark pasts before the case becomes cold? And will they both be able to move on and live? Rin x Haru . Credits to M!yuk! Nam!da for summary! :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

The sound of siren echoes throughout the hospital yard, the medics quickly wheeled out the stretcher and in a hurry pushed it towards the EMERGENCY ROOM, patience, nurses, everyone cleared the way for the incoming stretcher.

"What's his status?"

"He's suffering severed broken ribs and legs, heavy wounds all over the body especially his head and chest, we didn't have enough equipment in the ambulance to stop the internal bleeding,"

Oxygen mask covered the teen mouth and nose. He breathes heavily. The bandages on his head were not enough to stop the bloods that flow down mercilessly from his head. Bruises were seen on his ribs and legs, deep cut marks cut through his soft skin, bleeding mercilessly. The passing lights blinding his blurred vision, he could not move anything part of his body without feeling pain, his mind too hazy to think, his chest hurts on each breath, he was just too tired… Darkness slowly overtook him.

 

"Just take me away from this world…"

 

"Please..."


	2. Chapter 2

In the midst of busy ringing from the phones and chatters from the officers around him, he shut his eyes close in boredom as he lays his legs onto the table and leans back against the chair. In his right finger, held a lit cigarette, his long bangs falls behind his ears.

**"Oi, Matsuoka!"**

He pretend to be asleep until someone smashes the table with a folder, sounding upset as he heard heavy footsteps moving towards him. Without warning, he fell off the chair after being kicked off.

"Ugh, what the fuck was that for!" the man in his 20s' shoots up straight while his long violet bangs falls back to its place. His crimson burns with annoyance as he quickly crushed his cig into the cigarette tray.

"I got a job for you" the middle age man that was dressed up in a white dress shirt with a blue tie as his collar was let lose while in a black pants. He raised the folder and shoves it in front of the young teen face.

The man named Mitsuoka raised an eyebrow as he took the folder and start flipping through it.

"A kid was found by the public a week ago, heavily injured. Currently in Sakura Hospital"

"Uh boss, no name? The kid? No Picture? "

"Apparently he has no IDs or a cell phone on him, so yes I call him Kid for the time being"

"So what you want me to investigate?"

"Find out why is this kid injured or who was his attacker"

"Why don't you go ask him?"

"That's main problem here"

Matsuoka grabbed his coat and then the folder as he steps out from the office.

"He's in coma"

 

* * *

__

_**In the car,** _

Matsuoka was making his way towards the said hospital; at times he stole a glance at the blue folder. His mind was brainstorming. He gets a feeling that this case would not be easy.

_"He's a kid with jet black hair and light blue eyes, has a pale complexion when they found him, he's around your height, light build, he's probably somewhere within 17 – 18 years old this year" Tatsuya, his department boss describe the John Doe to him earlier._

_"No identity and in coma, what could be worst?"_  Matsuoka mumbles.

He has been a detective for over 6 years and he has solved many unsolvable cases. That alone earns him the title of genius that only appears once every 70 years, not that Mitsuoka ever gave a crap about it. As long as there is money for his cigarettes and foods he could not care less about what people says.

 

* * *

"I've been sent by the police department regarding the kid that just been brought in a week ago"

"Yes, Detective Tatsuya has informed us that someone will be assigned on the investigation" the nurse fiddles something in the visitor book after he signed and took a visitor card.

"He's in the ICU  **(Intensive Care Unit)**  on the third floor"

"Which room?"

"He did not have a name…so the hospital just gave him a temporary name"

"Oh?"

"Mizu, it was due to the fact that before he went into comatose state, the medics saw his sea blue eyes"

"I understand, it's better to have a name than none at all" Matsuoka smiled then left the counter, as his orbs start searching for the room that has a tag of  **'Mizu'**  on it.

 

* * *

He blinks at the tag after 10 minutes of searching the third floor. He enters. His flaring orbs dies down the moment he saw a certain jet black haired teen laying on the bed, attached to various life support machines, oxygen support was attached to his face. Several wires were latched onto the teen body.

He approached the bed. He frowns at the sight.

_"What could have happen to him…?"_

Bandages covers the teen forehead and body, he could see traces of bloods on the teen bandaged wrapped chest. It looked like he struggles to breath. The pale color of his skin almost matched the hospital bed sheets. His eyelids shut close tightly. Bruises were all over the teen body.

Mitsuoka sighed.

_"Guess I was right…this case is harder than it seems to be" he mumbles._

_"What case?"_ a voice questioned him.

"Ah well, boss send me to this John Doe, no identity no nothing, what's worse is that he's in coma, I'm not even sure where to begin with"

_"Then maybe you should start with the place they found me"_

After a while, Matsuoka realized he knows no one else enters the room other than him and the John Doe named  **'Mizu'**  is in a deep slumber. He blinks. He turns around.

Flaring crimson orbs met calm sea blue orbs.

It took a while for Matsuoka to react then he looks again at the asleep teen then to the teen that was standing behind him, again and again.

_"You can see me?"_

His orbs widened. Quickly he stepped back, as he keep shifting his gaze towards the John Doe and to the teen that looks EXACTLY like the victim he has been assigned to except the other is floating in the air!

_"What's wrong?"_

Those sea blue orbs blinks worriedly as he floats closer to Matsuoka who is gapping like a fish, open and closing his mouth, no sound came out.

_"Are you alright, Sir?"_

No reply, only the sound of gapping.

"Y—you're…h- -himm!" Matsuoka pointed at the teen that lies still on the bed.

The afloat teen then looked at the bed then back to the detective who is now on the floor.

 _"Yeah, that's me, though I don't know how I became like this"_  he replied as he looks at his almost see through body.

He then floats towards the bed, his face saddens.

_"Are you here to help me?"_

Matsuoka dashed out of the room, before the door slides close, he did not miss the sad and lonely expression from the teen.

The violet haired detective gasped for air after the long dashed he made towards his car. Quickly he drove away from the hospital. His brain is a mess.

"I know ghosts exist but…"

 

* * *

__

_**At the hospital in a certain room,** _

The jet black teen looks at his body that was laying on the hospital bed, attached to all different type of wires. His sea blue orb saddens after seeing the terrified looks on the detective.

_"Just when I found someone that can see me…"_


	3. Chapter 3

**  
  
**

Matsuoka finally arrived back to the headquarters, except looking so white. Everyone looked at him as he passed by them. Tatsuya, their head chief calls out for the violet haired detective who seems to not notice everyone around him.

He slumped into his chair, staring onto the blue folder on the table. He has not blinked once after he came back.

_"Maybe it's just my imagination…"_

"Matsuoka"

He did not hear.

**"MATSUOKA RIN"**

He fell onto the floor, and then blinked as he looked around. In front of him loomed his chief. Quickly he gets back on his two feet and dragged the chair to its original position.

_"This damn boss really should stop kicking me off my chair, one of these days i might ended up with a broken spine"_

"What is it, boss"

"I've been calling you for the past 5 minutes; I'm asking you, did you go and see the patient?"

Matsuoka froze. Tatsuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You look like you just saw a ghost"

He flinched at that word as he sweat dropped, "G...Ghost…there's no such thing as ghosts…"

"Yes, there is such a thing as ghosts, they really exist!" a voice enters the office. A blonde looking teen carrying a few folders in his hands, his long bangs neatly brushed.

The violet haired detective went back into his chair. "How can you be so sure? Hazuki"

"Jeez, I told you a million times to call me Nagisa!" the shorter blonde whine.

Matsuoka sighed as he starts fiddling with a pen while flipping through the file.

"Well?" Tatsuya tapped the table, waiting for a reply from the younger detective.

"Yea I went…"

"And…?" Tatsuya continued.

The violet could feel a major headache coming if that boss of his and Nagisa does not leave the office.

"His name is Mizu, which was given by the hospital"

"Mizu? As in water?"

"Yeah, apparently they said the medic named him due to his sea blue eyes when they brought him in"

"Well it's better to call him that instead of Kid" The chief shrugged as he made his way towards the exit.

"Better get this case done and over if, something tells me this case isn't just a matter of lost identity" he reminded, leaving Nagisa and Matsuoka in the office.

"Hazuki"

The blonde stopped his pace towards the door and turns around, looking at the detective who seems to be busy looking at that certain file.

"What ya know about…" he trailed off, searching for the right word to describe the 'Ghost' he saw earlier.

"About?" Nagisa echoes. It was unusual for Matsuoka to trail of a sentence.

"Hmm… about a person who is still in deep slumber…their thoughts leaves the body?" Matsuoka frowns at his miserable descriptions.

Nagisa was not sure on what reaction he should gives to the violet head, other than looking at him in a ridiculous way with a tilted head to the right.

"WHAT!" Matsuoka could feel his face burns with embarrassment, he was not even sure if his IQ is at the lowest bottom of the peak.

The blonde quickly let out a laughed; Matsuoka was refraining himself back so much from killing the shorter one right there for laughing at him.

"Ah sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you, it's just, this is the first time I seen you failed terribly at explaining things"

Matsuoka groaned in embarrassment. "Yeah well, no one's perfect"

Nagisa nodded then he moves closer to the table in the middle, "I think the correct word for your  _'thoughts'_ are astral projection, thought most people calls it out of body experience (OBE)"

The violet raised an eyebrow following the sight of the blonde heading to his coffee pot, "Astral projection?"

"Mhmm… it's where your soul or spirit believed to leave the body when the body is extremely sick or in comatose state but sometimes it depends on a situation of the person were in a sudden accident or attack, the soul tends to be confused to what has happened, it may have difficulty to go back to its body"

Matsuoka rested his head on his right palm while listening to the explanations given by his partner, "Sometimes it's different, when a person went through too much in life and doesn't wants to be in the reality anymore, the spirit will resist to go back to the body"

_"I wonder if that's the case with that kid…."_

Flashes of those sad and hurt look on that  _'Ghost'_  hits him at some point, he sighed.

_"I guess ghosts have feelings too…" then an eyebrow rose. His friend still busy explaining at the background while Matsuoka was busy with his own thoughts._

_"Maybe I shouldn't call him a ghost"_

"Rin-chan?" Nagisa interrupts his thoughts. Matsuoka raised his head, Nagisa face is practically inches away from him.

"Yeah?"

"You weren't listening" he pouted.

"I was, just thinking that's all" The violet haired detective replied, he then pushed the shorter out of his office after shoving his files into his chest.

"Ehhhh, but I still wanna talk with you"

Matsuoka sighed. He is still amazed on how that younger detective looked so young yet he is only a year younger than him. He eyed the file that lays open on the table as he sat down once again and rested his chin onto his knuckle.

The more he thinks about that Mizu, the more confused he gets and feels. Especially when the kid was worried about him earlier and he just ran off like that.

 **"AH DAMN IT!"**  Matsuoka banged his table then exits the office.

 

* * *

****

**_At the hospital,_ **

The spirit that that claims he is Mizu, curls up in a ball as he buries his head into his arms that is crossed in front of him. He floats around in the room while looking at his body that lays quietly on the bed with many life support machine attached to him.

 _"What am I thinking…I'm a ghost…of course he would run…"_  he mumbles, his blue orbs sadden. He looks at his see through hands, he bit his lower lip.

It's been days since he suddenly found himself like this, floating around the room, looking at doctors and nurses coming in and out fixing those machines or changing his body bandages. No one can see him; they all passed through him, no matter how much he screams at them.

No matter how much he tries to remember, he could not recall anything that happened, he feels so lost and confused.

_"Am I going to stay like this forever…?"_

"No, you're not"

Mizu quickly turns around and saw those flaring orbs looking at him from the door. He blinks.

_"When did he come back?"_

Matsuoka then steps a few feet forward, the ghost well…Mizu, stays at where he was floating, looking at the moving violet haired men.

"Sorry about earlier…" Matsuoka scratches the back of his neck, feeling awkward apologizing to a ghost.

"For running off like that…"

The jet black teen blinks a few times, swiftly he went towards the detective that clad in black leather coat. His face is now inches from the detective.

 _"So you really can see me"_  Matsuoka was mesmerized by his blue orbs.

 _"It's beautiful and calm just like the water…"_  he thought.

"Yea, I can. Don't ask why I can, since I don't know the answer to that" He answered as he walks forward towards the bed where lays the ghost real body is.

"Ya know how you ended up here in the hospital with all those injuries?

The floating teen did not say anything for a while,  _"No I don't…I can't remember anything…when I came to, I'm like this…"_

Matsuoka did not miss that sad tone.  _"Guess what Nagisa explained earlier was true, he's probably in a sudden situation that his memories all jumbled up" he thought._

"Well, I've been assigned to your case, finding out who you are and why were you injured but with your help" The violet detective said as he turns around to look at the ghost.

_"My help…how?"_

He wants to punch himself in the face for suggesting that idea.  _"A help from a ghost, what am I thinking!"_

"I'm not so sure how but we will find out later, first we need to introduce ourselves"

"I'm Matsuoka Rin, a detective"

_"But you don't look like a detective…and your name sounds like a girl name…"_

_"He's only a ghost, nothing to get pissed off at"_  Matsuoka mentally reminded himself to not punch into the air. Then he realized the ghost was not introducing himself.

"You do remember at least a name don't you?"

The ghost bit his lower lip _, "No…"_

Matsuoka sighed, somehow he hates seeing those sad orbs. "Let see, if I'm not mistaken, the hospital gave you a name, lemme try to remember what it was" he said as he went into a thinking pose.

 _"Mizu..."_ Matsuoka mumbles, concentrating on something in his hand.

The ghost head rose, floats towards the detective who is scribbling something on his notepad. He eyed the note pad from the detective shoulder.

"If you wrote it like this …" then the violet shoved the note pad in front of the ghost.

_"Mizu-ki?"_

"Yeah, means water child. Your eyes are so blue just like the sea, when you were found, there's a swim trunk and a pair of goggles in your bag. So you're probably a swimmer"

_"But it's a girl name…"_

_Matsuoka turns around as he stood up straight, as he sighed._

_"And you're a ghost" he continued in his mind._

"Suck it up, till we find out who you are, you'll have to deal with that name for the time being, are we clear?"

The ghost that is now Mizuki nodded, while the detective cracked a grin.

"So, let's start over. I'm Matsuoka Rin"

It was an odd situation for Mizuki but he decided to follow.

 _"Even if I can't go back to my body…at least someone knows I'm still here…that's more than enough…"_  Mizuki thought as he smiled back.

_"I'm Mizuki"_


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

* * *

 

Matsuoka has been pacing in his office past few two hours. Outside his office, his co-workers stared at the young detective, including Nagisa and Tatsuya who has been following the sight of the violet that has been acting…strange…

"Tell me, how the hell you followed me here?!" Matsuoka said as he spoke to the ghostly jet black haired teen that has been floating around his office, to be exact, Mizuki.

" _I don't know, you said you want my help so I thought maybe I should follow you, by the way you have great books about swimming here"_  he replied as he tried to take the book that has caught his attention on the shelves.

"Listen to me!" noticing Mizuki hands went through the book that he just mentioned. He face palmed.

_"Why the hell did I even suggest this in the first place, now I got a ghost following me around?!"_

"Rin, can you help me grab this book and let me read it?"

"Since when did I allowed you to call me by my given name?"

 _"Since now"_  he then went back to the book he was trying to grab. Matsuoka sighed. Whatever he does, it did not scare Mizuki away.

 

* * *

"Rin-chan, are you alright?" Nagisa enters the office looking worried.

"Huh, yeah. Why did ya ask?"

"Uhm…well…you're talking to the air…"

Matsuoka froze. Then he realized everyone was watching him acting like a lunatic in the office talking to no one. Well not exactly no one, but a ghost…

"Did I, I was just practicing my vocal"

Nagisa raised an eyebrow, "Vocal?"

Matsuoka nodded, sweat dropping, hoping the blond would take that as an answer. He quickly made a quick dash towards the book that Mizuki wanted and grabbed his coat, exiting the office, followed by Mizuki behind.

"I gotta go"

 

* * *

**_It was then in his car,_ **

****

Passersby were staring strangely at the violet detective who seems to be talking to…someone.

"Okay, let's make a deal shall we?"

Mizuki then went into a sitting pose in the air while nodding, waiting for this 'deal' Matsuoka mentioned.

"You will not talk to me when there is someone around me, I don't care how important it is, YOU WILL NOT TALK unless I say so"

The teen shoulder fell, "In return, I will let you read all these swimming stuff books all you want in my free time, is that a deal?"

Mizuki sea blue orbs lit up, his eyes focused on the book that Matsuoka waving in front of him. The violet smiled at how childish is the teen behavior.

"Is that a deal?"

The teen nodded, Matsuoka smiled. "Well, it's almost late, think I'll grab some dinner, you need any?"

_"I don't think ghosts can eat"_

Matsuoka eyed the teen who is sitting…well almost floating in the passenger seat next to him. " _For some reason…I can't let my eye off him…"_

"Oh well, just suck it up, after that I'll be heading home"

Mizuki nodded and just stayed silent throughout the journey, looking outside the window. It was a strange feeling for Matsuoka to have someone in the car and followed him around even going to the diners.

"Is it alright for your body without you there?"

_"I guess so…I just followed you without thinking"_

"Don't worry, we'll find a way to get you back to your body while solving this case" Matsuoka smiled then focused on driving home.

 

* * *

 

Mizuki blinks at the sight in front of him, he was not sure if he is in hell or not.

_"Your place is a wreck; I'm starting to doubt that you're a detective"_

"Shut up, stay here while I get a shower, and don't touch anything!" He warned the teen that was floating around his apartment.

 _"But I can't touch anything even if I wanted too…"_ Mizuki trailed off, following the sight of the detective disappearing into a room after throwing his coat onto the couch.

_"Is he living alone?"_

He floats around the apartment; it's a large place just for one person. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 showers, 1 complete kitchen set, a large living room with all those flat screens and audio speakers.

 _"It has nice colors…just like his hair…"_  Mizuki mumbles as he looked at the wall color painted in violet. He then noticed a room with a lot of trophies, medals, certificates and a shelve of swimming books and magazines. It was neatly kept room, unlike other parts of the apartment.

 _"Was he a swimmer back then…?"_ He mumbles upon noticing a photo framing a picture of Matsuoka Rin in his younger days holding trophies' with his friends, looking so happy.

_"I wonder if I had friends when I was…alive…"_

**Suddenly,**

_Flashes of blue water splashing, someone talking to him, flashes of a dark rainy day, flashes of him falling onto the ground, flashes of bloods flowing down on the ground, flashes of someone crying, flashes of a green necktie._

_"I'm sorry…"_

Mizuki orbs were wide, his chest heaves up and down, panting softly.

_"What was that..."_

He heard someone bang opens the door, heavy footsteps enters the room

**"GET OUT"**

* * *

_"I wonder where should I start first…or maybe I should start with the place they found him or maybe his bags"_  the violet haired detective mumbles as he washed off the shampoo bubbles on his hair.

_"I guess I'll have to start heading to the site first thing tomorrow"_

Matsuoka finally finished his shower, noticing the ghost were not anywhere in the apartment then he saw the door towards the room he always kept locked is opened.

_"Odd…I don't remember unlocking the door"_

He enters, his eyebrow knitted into frowns, the moment he saw Mizuki looking at all the things in there.

 **"GET OUT"**  he raised his voice.

_"Rin, were yo-"_

**"I SAID GET OUT OF THIS ROOM"**

Mizuki quickly floats out of the room, as far as possible from the angry detective. He could hear the door being shut with much force, as it echoes throughout the entire apartment.

 

* * *

 

Matsuoka appeared in the living room, Mizuki was floating at the corner. The violet eyed the ghost, he sighed.

"Just don't enter that room anymore"

The ghost heard that small mumble and nodded. They both stayed silent for over 20 minutes. Matsuoka finally gave up and went to the kitchen, reheating whatever food he bought earlier. He could see from the corner of his eyes, Mizuki remained silent even though he is still floating nearby.

"Do you remember anything before you get hurt?"

He broke the heavy silence. Mizuki flinched at the question, Matsuoka noticed this.

"What's wrong?"

After a while of silence, the ghost replied with a sad look on his face.

" _W...when I was in that room earlier…I was looking through things…I have a flashback or some sort…"_

Matsuoka took a seat at the counter chair, leaning his head against his right knuckles, looking at the floating Mizuki, waiting for him to continue his sentence. Mizuki bit his lip.

_"There was guy talking to me in a happy way…then there's rainy night, it was heavy, I fell onto the ground, I saw bloods falling down the ground…and…"_

_**"And…?"** _

_"I heard someone apologizing and ran off using a green necktie…I don't know if it's even my memories…it hurts when I try to recall back…"_

The violet detective kept his eyes onto the teen while sipping his coffee.

 _"If that is his memories, there is a possibility it was an attempt murder…the man he sees in his flashback…that can be either a suspect or a witness or someone he is close to…_  "He frowns then let out a sigh.

_"Just what i got myself into..." he massaged his nose bridge._

_"Rin?"_

_"But to find a certain guy with only a green necktie as descriptions…it's harder than one think…especially with no other descriptions…maybe I should ask_ _**HIM** _ _, he's good at finding people…"_

_"Rin…?"_

Matsuoka snapped from his train of thoughts, noticing Mizuki got a little closer to him, looking worried.

"Yeah…?"

 _"Ah nothing…it's just you weren't answering when I called you…"_ he flinched the moment Matsuoka orbs looked at him. He swallowed the heavy lump that was stuck in his throat _._

The violet haired detective stood up as he stretched, dumping his dishes into the sink and headed to his bedroom after grabbing several folders on the table in the living room.

"I'm going to sleep, best if you get some sleep, we got a long day tomorrow"

Mizuki follows him but immediately halt the moment Matsuoka glares at him, just like a lion about to eat their prey. Mizuki floats back a little.

"I don't appreciate having a ghost or anyone in my room while I'm sleeping, so you stay out here, make yourself comfortable at the couch"

The ghost quietly nodded and floats away towards the living room, Matsuoka turns off the lights, leaving Mizuki in the dark living room. The detective watched him floats away from the crack of the door before shutting it close.

_"I wonder if I did something to piss him off…." Mizuki mumbles before resting his head on his arms while floating in the air around the living room._

* * *

_"Ya awake?"_

_"Yes, I am. What ya need in the middle of the night?"_

_"Straight forward as ever, aren't you?"_

_"Stop wasting my time and say it"_

_"Fine, fine just don't sounds so grumpy will ya?"_

_" **….** "_

_"I'll send you an email, it's locked with a password, and I believe you know the password, read it"_

_After a moment of silence on the other line of the phone, Matsuoka heard a sigh._

_"As usual, you_ _**ALWAYS** _ _asked for the impossible"_

The violet detective grins,  _"You and your stupid grin"_

_"Well, think you can do it?"_

_"When you need this?"_

_"If possible in less than a week or as soon as you can"_

_"Expect an email from me soon"_

* * *

In the room, sprawl all the papers on the bed from the files he brought along earlier. The only light that lit his dark room was from the moonlight. Matsuoka stretched as he lets out a long yawn.

 _"At this rate, I won't be able to get proper sleep until this case is over"_ he mumbles, quietly he pokes his head outside his bedroom door, eyeing for a certain ghost.

_"Wonder where he is?"_

Quietly he exits his room, walking towards the living room. He heard soft breathing echoes in the quiet apartment. He noticed, Mizuki was on the couch, with his arms under his head, eyes shuts close as his bangs falls over to the side.

Matsuoka smiled, his hands was about to brush those bangs off when he realized that Mizuki is not physically there, after he noticed his hands just went through the teen see through body. He sat on the table, looking at the asleep ghost.

_"Funny…I never expected I would see a ghost sleeping in my entire life" he rested his head on his left knuckles, staring at Mizuki quietly. His flaring orbs soften._

_"I wonder if he was lonely, being in this form…before I came…no memories, no friends, no one that could see him…I know I would be completely lost without any of those…"_

He remembered earlier incident where Mizuki went into  ** _'THAT'_**  room, not knowing it was not allowed for outsiders.

 _"I shouldn't have shouted at him…this is such a pain"_  he thought. He knew his attitude scares the ghost that made him flinched each time he looked at him. It was not something that Matsuoka proud of.

Mizuki face frowns a little but did not woke up; instead he just curls into a ball, as if protecting himself from whatever harm that may come by to him.

_"I really wanna know what happened to you..."_

Quietly, he retreated back to his room after giving a final glance to the asleep Mizuki on the couch.

_"Goodnight, Mizuki"_


	5. Chapter Four

It was early in the morning; the young detective had his coffee before dashing off for work. Mizuki quietly followed him without saying a word. Along the way, the violet detective yawns several times, dark eye bags appeared underneath his eyes.

_"Didn't you went to bed early last night?"_

"Yeah I did, I'm just tired that's all" he lied.

He has been up the whole night and only gotten two hours of sleep before he had to wake up 7 in the morning. He spent the whole night searching for more clues until he fell asleep on his laptop.

* * *

"Matsuoka, here's the report on the site where they found him" Tatsuya said as he handed over a folder as he was about to exit the office. The violet detective flips through the reports as Mizuki peeked from his shoulder. He frowns.

"What is this?"

"Yeah, that's all they could find, unfortunately the storm from that night washed almost everything away including the evidence or any traces of the possible attacker on Mizu"

Mizuki tried reading what was in the file but Matsuoka quickly closes it before he can read a single word.

"This might be one of those cases that can't be solved"

Tatsuya sighed as he leans against the door frame, eyeing the younger detective. Matsuoka bit his lower lip before stuffing the file into the pile of file he is holding in his other arms. He left the office.

"It can be solve, with leads or not. I will solve it"

* * *

_**It was somewhere 11 in the morning,** _

Matsuoka finally arrived to the scene; it was under the bridge nearby the riverbank, roughly 10 minutes drive from the closest 7/eleven store, while it took Matsuoka around one hour to reach the scene from his office which located at the heart of the city. Several yellow police strips surround the area.

"Why are we here, Rin?"

The detective was busy looking around, while Mizuki follows him from behind.

"It's the place where we found you"

Mizuki halted. Matsuoka bends down to the ground where Mizuki original body was found laying. While cursing in his head, he tried looking for more clues. One thing he hates is finding clues that might not even exist.

_"Damn fucking rain washed everything away"_

"OI, Mizuk—"

He stops, upon noticing the ghost froze at the spot he floats. He walks closer, Mizuki looks pale, his lips were trembling, and his sea blue orbs were wide. Matsuoka tried waving his hands in front of the ghost, not receiving any responds. Until, Mizuki screamed in pain, Matsuoka almost jumped.

**"OI, MIZUKI. WHAT'S WRONG?"**

He tried touching Mizuki but to his vain, his hands went through the ghostly body. Mizuki were not responding, he curls into a ball while holding his head, his orbs shuts close. Matsuoka were not sure what to do, he could not touch the boy neither getting through him.

**"MIZUKI!"**

* * *

_"You shouldn't give up on swimming just because you defeated him…"_

_Flashes of a swimming pool, flashes of water splashing, flashes of him giving a dolphin key chain, flashes of someone smiling at him, flashes of someone large warm hand handing him over a towel with a bird like looking emblem on it_

**_"BECAUSE OF YOU, I COULDN'T SWIM ANYMORE!"_ **

_Flashes of his head being hit by something so heavy and solid, flashes of someone kicked him in the stomach, flashes of someone stepped onto his right shoulder, flashes of him screaming in pain, flashes of a dolphin key chain swinging on a bag pack, flashes of a familiar large hand grabbing his collar, flashes of hatred in those orbs._

_"Thi..is…is not…you…"_

It was then; Mizuki heard someone kept calling him in between those flashes.

**_"MIZUKI!"_ **

* * *

It was a while later, Mizuki finally snapped from whatever just happened. He gasped for air. His hands were still trembling. He could feel his head pounding.

"Mizuki, are you alright?" a worried voice asked him. Slowly he opens his eyelids, ruby orbs looking at him worriedly. He blinks a couple times, and then he looks at his see through hands. He frowns.

 _"I'm…fine…"_  he straightens up.

"What happened, you screamed all of a sudden"

_"It's those…flashes…again…"_

Matsuoka straightened up; he lit up a cig and leans against the wall. Mizuki were staring at the ground, drilling a hole into it, his orbs were filled with confusion, and it was something Matsuoka never seen, ever since he met the boy.

"I'm here to listen; it might help us with the case"

The ghostly teen looked hesitated, and then he floats closer to the detective.

_"I saw a swimming pool…I gave someone a dolphin key chain, a large hand handing me over a towel with a blue-ish bird on it…"_

"Were that is all you seen?" Matsuoka started to jolt down notes into his small notebook.

 _"Someone hit me on the head, stomach, everywhere…"_  he held his shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

_"I must have done something very wrong to someone that…it was my fault he couldn't swim anymore…"_

Matsuoka eyebrows knitted. "What do you mean  **He**?"

_"I don't know…it's just in those flashes, he told me that It was my fault that he couldn't swim…he tried crushing my shoulder…so much hatred in his eyes…"_

Seeing the ghostly could not go on anymore, he chucked his cig into the river and head back to his car.

"Come on, it's almost lunch"

Mizuki nodded, as Matsuoka drove off from the scene.

 _"At this point i can confirm that, Mizuki is a swimmer, the possibility that he has been attacked was due to whatever_ _**'fault'** _ _he did in the past to his attacker, as for the dolphin keychain and the bird emblem on a towel…I guess this is better than having nothing as a clue"_

* * *

_**At the café,** _

Matsuoka was busy eating and researching on his laptop. Mizuki stayed silent. Several students were at the other side of table.

_"I wonder if I went to school when I was alive…"_

Clad in their school uniforms. The girls were wearing a blue coat, a black and red stripes skirt, a red ribbon tied onto her collar and a white dress shirt, as for the male were wearing a blue coat, a dress shirt, brown pants and a green tie.

_"A green tie…"_

Matsuoka, who was too busy focusing on his screen, did not realize the ghost was trying to tug his shirt.

_"Rin…look over there"_

"Hmm, didn't I tell you not to talk when there's people ar-"he noticed the green necktie on the male students not far from him. He looked at Mizuki.

"Is that the tie you saw?"

Mizuki nodded, the violet haired detective quickly went towards the students.

"Hey, which school ya guys from?"

The students blinked and looked at each other, then to the detective that is standing at the side of the table.

"Uhm…Iwatobi High School…"

"Listen, you guys recognize a student with this descriptions', a male, around 17 years old, black haired and blue eyes, I believe he should be in the swimming club"

They shook their head. "Our school doesn't have a swimming club; it has been disbanded two years ago, as for the guy, I don't think I have seen him around"

"How about the school emblem, what was it?"

One of the female students took out a bird looking key chain and showed it to him.

_"That's the bird I saw in my flashes"_

"Iwatobi-Chan, that is our school emblem, I think every club has Iwatobi-Chan on almost of their uniforms or gears, you can have that if you want"

After a while, Matsuoka left the group of students and immediately went back to the office.

 

* * *

 

"Ah, welcome back, how was it?" Nagisa approached the detective. He has been ignored. Matsuoka immediately turns his PC on.

_"Iwatobi Swimming Club…"_

Mizuki stayed afloat behind him, watching the detective doing his work.

 _"It has been disbanded due to an inner conflict between the members. The captain of the club has to resign from the swimming world due to heavy injuries on his shoulder…"_ Matsuoka frowns as he stretched his arms up.

_"If it was roughly 2 years ago…then there is a possibility that Mizuki was in the first year…but inner conflicts…?" Then he starts fiddling with the keyboard a little more._

Nagisa enters his office with a cup of coffee. After placing it on the table, he went next to Matsuoka.

"How come you're looking up on Iwatobi Swimming Club?"

"Looking for someone"

"I can help if you want; after all, my cousin was in that school swimming club years ago before it got disbanded"

Matsuoka orbs lit up. He quickly turns around and looked at the teen-looking detective next to him. After receiving the contact number, he quickly dialed Nagisas' cousin.

* * *

"It's Matsuoka Rin from the same department your cousin, Nagisa Hazuki worked in; I have several questions for you, if you have the time to spare"

 _"Eh, I didn't do anything wrong did I?"_ a male voice asked on another line.

"No, you didn't. It's regarding on one of the case I am working on. Do you still remember who the captain of the swimming club is before it got disbanded?

_"Hmmm…I think it was Tachibana, he left the school after the club has been disbanded and the fight he had with that student"_

Matsuoka jolted down the name. "Do you remember the student name and Tachibana full name and a student with this descriptions a male, around 170 cm, black hair and blue eyes ?"

_"I don't know, there is a lot of students with those descriptions and i'm sorry i can't remember Tachibanas' full name, it's been a long time after all"_

He sighed after he hung up the call.

" _Another dead end…huh"_

* * *

_"It's me again"_

A sigh was heard from the other line.

_"What is it now?"_

_"Check your email; I will need it by tomorrow morning"_

_"As always, you asked for the impossible. No matter, you'll be receiving it by tonight at least along with the request you have sent in yesterday"_

Matsuoka chuckled.

_"As expected from the best info broker, Ryugazaki Rei"_

_"Tch, you owe me a lot on this one" The detective laughed it off. Ryugazaki sighed._

_"As your childhood friend, I have a piece of advice for you on this case; you have to face your own fears in order to solve this"_

_"Fears…huh?"_

_The call ended._

Mizuki, who has been listening to the conversation, looks at the detective who seems to be exhausted.

_"Fears, does Rin fear something?" he slowly floats towards the detective._

_"Rin"_

"Hmm?"

 _"What's wrong?"_ Matsuoka opens his eyelids and looked at the teen.

 _"She would be around his age if she's still alive…"_  he thought.

* * *

 **_"ONICHAN!"_ ** _a small girl with a long violet hair gasping for air, as her arms flaps onto the water trying to stay afloat._

**_"KOU, HANG IN THERE!"_ **

_Matsuoka tried to swim as fast as he can against the raging river. His shoulder, his lungs and his body hurts from the streams as he tries to swim towards his sister who seems to be blobbing above and under the water._

**_"KOU!"_ ** _his breath hitched, the moment his sister disappears from his sight._

**_"KOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"_ **

* * *

_"Rin, what's wrong?"_

Matsuoka snapped from his thoughts, after hearing Mizuki calling for him. He sighed after noticing the time; he then packed up his files and grabbed his coat.

"It's nothing, let's go home, we're done for today"

* * *

Matsuoka opens the door that he kept tidy and locked from everyone, after making sure Mizuki is asleep. He grabs onto a small photo frame. His orbs softened. A picture of him and a smaller girl that resembles him back in the younger days.

_"If only I was strong enough to save you back then…Kou"_


End file.
